Had a friend comment a couple days ago about being a collector of both Oldsmobiles and VW Beetles as being an unusual combination. In reality, I've encountered a great number of enthusiasts who have and enjoy both. But I got a real good chuckle this afternoon as I was cleaning out an old Beetle in advance of selling it.

Noticed an old radio mounted under the dash area...got closer and hey! What do I see across the faceplate? O L D S M O B I L E

 

Gotta be able to listen to Sonny and Cher and Three Dog Night on the ole AM dial!

 

How cool!

Momma used to own a 2003 VW Beetle. While nowhere near as cool as a classic VW it was a good car. It was comfortable for me to drive at 7ft. tall (unlike her 2019 Ford Fiesta). I'd consider buying another VW (maybe a 2006 VW Phaeton with the 6.0l W12), even though that Beetle only got 24 mpg!

 

I knew a guy that had a Toronado drivetrain Beetle. Super fast car. Always hot as H in the interior but cool car. Total sleeper.

 

Add me to the list. Seems I am on this track. I have collected 1 of each (at the moment). You have me wondering about the psychology of the association.

1956 Beetle

1965 Olds Delta 88

 

That Beetle is bad@$$!

I'm sure it's a blast to drive either your VW, or your Olds to the local cruise in.

 

I, too, had an Oldsmobile and a Beetle, and at the same time. Olds was my first car(I still have it), Bug was my second car. Sold the Bug to my buddy and lost track of it when he sold it.

 

I love early bugs. I owned so busses. Our family van's were 65-66 busses. As I am older I go 🤔. Zero horsepower. Zero. Zero heat. It sat nine so that was the driving force. First car I drove a manual transmission in.

 

Drove Volkswagen Fastback as a young man. Loved it, drive all day on a tank of gas. In the Catskill mountain of New York where I lived. Roomy, comfortable, ran great! Did not even need to push in the clutch to change gears. And went driving along the mountains, rivers and lakes. My ex girlfriend mom's car. Third time I sign out her daughter from high school. School office called her mom, she wanted to kill me.

 

I saw one on Marketplace recently. Pretty clapped out and overpriced from what I could see. A local guy had a Bug with an Eldorado 500ci, that thing went kinda quick.

 

Both great looking cars! Here are a couple of mine...'57 Bug and '71 Cutlass S

 

I had a 57 bug just like that when I was going to college. Oval rear window with sunroof. It had an 1800cc Dual ports, extractor exhaust, and real wood paneling inside. Most four cylinder cars never had a chance.

 

I bet you schooled a few 350s, too! I had a 1776 with dual dellartos when I drag raced the car. The track was less than 1/8th so I regularly beat stock 350s in heads up races.

 

I dig both of your cars. I really like your 71. Good friend of mine had a black 57 bug. Early bugs are so cool. 56 was the last year for a split window right?

 

No the last year for split window was either 54 or 55. My boss at the SSC Lab had a totally original 56 oval window with semiphore directional signals.

 

The last split window was 1953 1/2. Last year for the oval window was 1957. Then they were all the square windows, with a couple size increases over the years. 1955 was the last year for the semaphores in North American cars, although you could still find them in the late 50's in European models.

 

Fairly modern bug for sale up the road from me. Painted like Herbie.

 

Me too! Loved it. Such a unique model. Mine was slammed and red, and I never took a picture . I found, chased, cleaned up and flipped this OE black/red, CA black plate "68 a few years ago. Would loved to have kept it..but alas, no room.

 

Now those are two rad cars! (that word just automatically comes out at times like this). I have a soft spot for black ovals.

 

When I was a kid growing up my buddies dad had a spilt window it was his work car he used to quip that it was just a step up from a Radio Flyer wagon and his Sears riding mower !!
I also had a buddy that had a older V.W. bus, the thing I remember most was on a good day with the wind behind you going down hill you might get 60 MPH out of it !!
I never caught the BUG to own one but as a general tech I had to work on a few and I can say I did appreciate the simplicity.

 

I've never been to California other than a connector in the San Fran airport. Could someone tell me the significance of the California Black Plate? I hear a decent amount of appreciation for them.

 

They are just a nice looking black plate with yellow letters that ran from "63 to "69. It's not that common to find cars with original ones. They can be special ordered now, and a lot of folks have new ones, so "original black plate" cars are rarer.

 

In California the plates stay with the car when it gets sold. So black plates on a car shows that the car has always been a California car. I still have the black plates off my 64 Grand Prix.